There was a second murder at the same time by the same person, of a man who was not an anti-choice activist. It probably was not some crazed pro-lifer showing his/her displeasure at the other side existing.

Other than that, your anti-murder stance is bold. I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

I meant to add that I think it's not great you're assuming this murder was politically motivated before any motive has been addressed by people with access to the case. All you're doing is validating the weird "this man is a martyr!!!!!!!" thing some of the anti-abortion folks are doing. We don't know that, and pushing that view of it before we know what happened just feeds the crazies.

OP here.. At the time that I wrote this, I did not have the same amount of information about this case that I do now. Now, I think it's doubtful (but still possible) that the murderer did this because of this man's anti-choice views.

If it was a pro-choice person who did murder that guy, while I do not condone it one bit I can see how someone, especially after Dr. Tiller's death, could be thinking enough is enough. I have thought so many times how satisfying it would be to turn the tables on them, to show them that terrorist mentalities and bombings and loud protests outside of clinics are not the way to go about it. Sometimes I get tired of being on the side of passive turn the other cheek our rightness will win out in the end. Especially during this healthcare debate when republicans are more than willing to yell lies, openly insult our president (it disgusts me the most when senators do that), and use so much violent imagery that I know sooner or later before all this is finished someone is going to be shot on the pro-reform side. Honestly I pray to whatever god may be out there that someone does not shoot president Obama, but I'm fairly certain that that is exactly where all this is going. When Republican protesters feel safe and are ALLOWED to wear loaded guns to presidential town hall meetings I'm pretty much to the point where enough is enough.

Despite all that, I do not condone killing at all. I hate MANY people on the other side of these debates and their inability to use empathy and look at the human effect they are having with their choices, but I would never kill them. I value life way too much to condone killing. I think I value like far more than those supposed Christian republicans out there. All they care about is that women have babies, but I want to see them for once pass some sort of legislature that gives pregnant women the ability to afford the massive bills associated with pregnancy, that gives protection and money so those children can be raise properly, or that provides security to those children who will be left in foster care because their mothers wanted to have their baby adopted or because the woman was talked into having their baby adopted. Or that anti-choicers would be more willing to provide comprehensive sex education to LOWER the amount of unwanted pregnancies. No, all they care about is that fetus, not the mother's life or the child's life outside of the womb. 'Cause, you know, I guess their god loves to ruin lives.

I can see where the shooters anger came from. And I would LOVE to see the conservatives start using this to prove how violent and hate filled we pro-choicers are. 'Cause it doesn't matter in the end. They would have made up some lie anyways, hell, they were already convinced we are murdering dirtbags. It doesn't matter with them. They will always lie to get people to their side. And one shooting will never overshadow the amount of clinic bombings, doctor shooting/killings, or fear inducing protesters at abortion clinics that the anti-choicers do EVERY DAY. I am one fed up liberal, tired of their bullshit. And what I want is more liberal pundits and senators and others getting as much screen time as the conservatives and actually giver the liberals time to explain their positions and uncover the right's lies. I do not think the conservatives should be the loudest anymore. I've stopped listening to the healthcare debate, even on such places like NPR and Think Progress because I cannot stand to hear the talking points anymore. We KNOW the conservatives are full of lies so why bother giving their lies any air time anymore? And yet, even on NPR every day there's another conservative with another talking point full of lies, and while they point out the lie I don't even want the lie to be aired on the radio in the first place. Let the conservatives have their Faux News, but I wish other media outlets wouldn't follow Faux's suit by adding more and more conservatives to their panels.

I get the anger, but I want it channeled into people talking over the conservative lies and pushing the lies out of our media. Shooting will not, in the end, solve anything, even if it may make you feel a little better. Why can't we liberals get as angry as Limbaugh or O'Reilley or Beck and just take over an air wave and shout the truth at the top of our lungs? Forget this bipartisan crap, you can't be bipartisan with the party of no. My hope is that those on the conservative side who have brains realize how crazy those few radicals have turned their party into and break off and form a new party. A more moderate party. THIS is where our anger should go. Or hell, go protest in front of one of those fake Christian choice clinics. Something non violent but on the level with what the anti-choicers are doing. ANYTHING. I just want the truth to be hear more than the lies. For once. Without bloodshed. And without murder.

I'm all for deescalating situations like this as best we can. The more polarized we get, the more this sort of anger feeds on itself.

Recently I've been reading about the kind of baseless rumors and fears in both the North and the South in the immediate period shortly before the Civil War broke out. A kind of mutual paranoia on both sides fed these rumors and while none of them was the least bit factually true--by that point, perception was reality. I have no desire for history to repeat itself.

This is terrible no matter if it was politically motivated or not. A human being was murdered. His personal politics have nothing to do with whether or not his life was valuable. He was a human being and every life is valuable, no matter what the guy wanted. He didn't deserve to be shot and killed by some crazy person. I think that we need to be outraged over that, not over a political agenda. This guys family is now suffering the loss of their loved one, and that needs to be remembered before we come out and say anything

The pro-choice movement can not stoop down to the level of the terrorists that protest at clinics, or in front of high schools, or at pro-choice events, or anywhere else.

That line sounds like you're drawing equivalency between obnoxious protests and murder. I hope you're not.